Environmental Quality

Register for the 2021 Leadership in the City Course

Are you interested in Extension in urban areas and ready to improve your knowledge, skills, and results?

The Leadership in the City course will help you learn about leadership, networks, innovation, and management. The 5-month online program will prepare you, as an Extension professional, to be relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally.

The goal of this comprehensive professional development program is to improve the knowledge, skills, and results of university Extension professionals working in large cities. You will connect with peers from around the country to engage in critical thinking and creative problem solving to become better prepared to be relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally.

The program was developed based on a foundation of entrepreneurial theory and urban Extension practice and will build upon existing leadership experiences, management training, and Extension professional development.

You will learn from experienced leaders; apply what you learn in your city, region, or state; engage in critical thinking and creative problem solving; and participate in online collaborative learning. Each competency-based module incorporates interactive digital delivery and the flipped classroom model for active learning and engagement.

Upon completion of the course, you will be better prepared to:

  • Evaluate, illustrate, and build upon their four dimensions as an entrepreneurial leader (traits and drivers; competencies and experiences).
  • Navigate as a leader working in the urban and university contexts.
  • Implement elements of entrepreneurial organizations.

The investment in the program is $500 plus a commitment to work hard and have fun investing 8-14 hours per month. The 5-month online course begins in January 2021. If you have multiple participants from the same institute, you are each entitled to a $100 discount (Promotion code: LITC21-MULT).

This course is led by Dr. Julie Fox from the Ohio State University Extension.

Complete details and registration information can be found at https://cityextension.osu.edu/leadership. The deadline for registration is November 30.

Oh, Deer: How to Keep Your Yard from Becoming a Buffet

The Ohio Department of Natural Resource Division of Wildlife is accustomed to fielding complaints about nuisance deer, especially in urban areas. With the coronavirus pandemic keeping folks at home, more people are planting gardens for the first time. Someone new to the game might not know how to handle a hungry four-legged visitor, said Geoff Westerfield, a wildlife biologist with ODNR.  Stark County’s deer population tends to be stable in rural areas, such as Minerva, and growing in more urban areas. In rural areas, ODNR can adjust hunting regulations to help keep populations in check. In cities, that’s not typically an option, and without control, populations will grow, he said. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: Canton Repository

Join a North Central Region NUEL’s Action Team

The North Central Region of NUEL is seeking a vibrant, forward thinker to participate in national discussions focused on sustaining an integrated approach to urban Extension.

As an Action Team representative for the North Central Region you will be asked to participate in each of the quarterly regional meetings and the monthly NUEL Steering Committee meetings. Your role during the meetings will be to share and explore ideas aimed to strategically enhance urban Extension’s relevance locally, responsiveness statewide, and recognition nationally. This role will require, on average, four hours of your time per month. This is a great opportunity to highlight your knowledge and skills while advocating for yourself and your urban Extension peers.

If you are interested in becoming an Action Team representative, please email a 250-word bio that highlights your commitment to urban Extension, which Action Team you would like to contribute to, and why you are perfect for this position. Send this information to Nicole at debose.8@osu.edu no later than September 29. This position carries a 3-year term and will begin on January 1, 2021. The Action Teams are listed on the NUEL website.

For any question, please reach out to Nicole Debose.8.

Sourced from: NUEL

More Than a Token: Urban Agriculture Has Much to Offer Close to Home

Jodi Kushins, of Over the Fence Urban Farm, knows she doesn’t grow a lot compared to some farms. She feeds about 20 households through her CSA program, with 2,500 square feet in her yard and her neighbor’s yard. “It’s like a drop in the bucket,” she said. “Seeing a semi truck full of produce and then thinking about the very, very tiny amount of food I’m able to produce in my yard definitely gives me pause.”

Kushin’s farm is one of more than 30 in Columbus, up from about five in 2014. Urban agriculture is driven by desires for food security and fresh foods, vacant land in post-industrial areas and interest in connecting with farmers, said Mike Hogan,  Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Franklin County. “We know we’re not gonna feed the world with urban agriculture,” Hogan said. But Hogan believes that urban agriculture needs to be part of the city food systems. In Cleveland, about 80% of the vacant land could provide 20% of all the produce needed. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: Farm and Dairy

Gardening in Katrina’s Wake: Growing Food Helps Rebuild New Orleans

New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward bears plenty of scars of Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city 15 years ago – overgrown vacant lots, broken foundations where houses stood and empty streets where people once lived.

Then there’s the gardens of Jeanette Bell, plots of life she has built to teach people to grow their own food from the ruins. “Once you start growing, you immediately recognize the difference, instantly, in your food and in your life,” said Bell, 76, founder of the Garden on Mars Urban Garden Project. Bell has five gardens in the Lower Ninth, the poorest and worst hit of New Orleans’ 17 wards when the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and 80% of the city was flooded. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: Thomas Reuters Foundation

National Urban Extension Conference Postponed

After discussion and thoughtful consideration, the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) has decided to postpone the May 2021 National Urban Extension Conference (NUEC), until May 2022. Details on the 2022 NUEC conference will be forthcoming in a few months. In lieu of holding the NUEC in May 2021, NUEL will be hosting a National Urban Extension Virtual Summit on May 18-20, 2021.

Please hold these dates on your calendar. A more detailed agenda and registration information will be released in early 2021.

Sourced from: NUEL

Land-Grant Cornerstone Conversation

Join the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) for the 2020 Land-Grant Cornerstone Conversation being held virtually during the 58th annual Farm Science Review on Tuesday, September 22. Dr. Cathann A. Kress, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the CFAES and special guests, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, will discuss the future of agriculture research technology and prominent ways to ensure the food supply chain in Ohio and beyond. Follow this link to register. 

Sourced from: CFAES

2020 Ohio Master Urban Farmer Workshop

This series of 10 evening workshops is designed to help individuals learn how to produce and market all types of food products in an urban environment. While the workshop content will be introductory, individuals who already have some experience growing or marketing food products will benefit from participating. The 2020 Master Urban Farmer class will be held utilizing a hybrid model of some in-person classes, some outdoor sessions, and many classes held virtually. The in-person sessions will utilize safety protocols including reduced class size, social distancing, face masks required, and no food served. Because of this, the cost of registration will be cut in half from $200 to $100 for the general public and $50 for Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteers. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: OSU Extension, Franklin County